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It’s time for a Pumpkin Palooza! Pumpkins are everywhere and ready for either decorating, carving or eating. They are grown in colors such as light green, white, blue and of course the usual orange. This time of the year, the pumpkins are seen everywhere including on porches, in yards, on sidewalks and in the house displayed on tables and shelves. They are on display in stores, on trailers and in front of specialty shops, all offering the pumpkins of all shapes and sizes for sale. Speaking of sizes, the record for the largest pumpkin was set a...
This week newspapers throughout the United States are celebrating the 84th annual National Newspaper Week. As part of the observance the National Newspaper Association has asked us “old boys” to share stories about why we are in the newspaper business. And when it comes to the “old boy” designation, I certainly fit. I’ve been sitting in this newspaper’s editor’s chair for more than 54 year and I’ve been telling stories for more years than that. I’m not sure when I started but one my earliest memories is of a story I told dates back to whe...
Q: I recently lost someone close to me. Where can I find words of comfort in the Bible? A: It may not be easy for me to offer a satisfying answer to this question since grief can affect all of us in different ways. The best I can do is offer general guidelines and resources for grief, then list specific passages for various situations. I hope it helps. One beneficial source of comfort to us in times of grief is our relationships with others. Friends, family, a pastor or a wise fellow believer can provide support and encouragement. The Bible sha...
Recently I attended the Nebraska Press Women’s fall convention. Looking over the slate of presenters, I was not overly interested in the subject matter, but I relished the chance to network with fellow journalists. I hooked up to my camper and headed out early Friday morning for a Nebraska State Park close to the convention venue. I had no trouble finding the park, getting a site and setting up my camper. All was going well by Saturday morning but, knowing my luck, I headed out early just in case. Sure enough, I took a wrong turn inside the p...
“Election Tampering” is often thought of as something that happens on Election Day to affect the outcome of the election. However, “Tampering” can come in many forms. The Heritage Foundation just released a news item concerning voter registration in Arizona. The Daily Signal reported the following: “Arizona has 218,000 voters who can’t prove citizenship.” The Arizona Secretary of State made the announcement last week, but still had not sent the information down to the local election officials who have to deal with the public. I still don’t k...
It was 100 years ago this September that my Grandfather Wrench helped solve a Nuckolls County bank robbery. I’ve shared this story in this newspaper before but it is one as a youngster I often asked my grandfather to tell. Hopefully the readers of this column will enjoy reading it again. From The Sept. 25, 1924 edition of The Express Superior is considerably in the limelight right now for having captured an honest to goodness bank robber, guns, money and all. Yes, sir, inside of six hours Monday, Mr. Robber was arrested, jailed, demobilized o...
Remember when window shopping was enjoyed? In my youth, most stores had large tall windows on both sides of the entrance. The large windows had platforms behind them so the store could display their products eye level to people passing by. The object of the window displays was to draw the people’s attention and hopefully have them stop to look things over. Thus potential customers were drawn to look and admire the store’s latest offerings, which would hopefully draw them inside the store to make a purchase. At night, lights were turned on so...
Q: Does having a church around actually benefit anything? What is it good for? A: That will depend on the church. Churches that are Bible-based, Spirit-filled and faithful will be tremendous blessings to the community they are a part of. Churches that are dead, toxic or legalistic are a heavy drag on the community and a disgrace to the name of Christ. While I am neither a Christian nor a pastor because I believe all churches are perfect, I do believe that faithful churches and Christians have the greatest potential for blessing both...
Football games . . . Have you had your fill of the games yet ? ? ? or how about volleyball ? ? ? No, I have not. It is especially more enjoyable when your favorite team wins. I have, however, come to having my fill on the changes in the games, especially on the college level. Have you noticed the college games have been extended longer and longer in recent years? I don’t know if this year is the first year they have it, but do you wonder why the “two minute warning” was started in college games. This stoppage of play, along with all of the TV t...
I don’t care what the calendar says, I’m not ready for fall or winter. Still have some undone things I planned to do in the spring and haven’t really started on my summer projects, but the highway through Trail Ridge Park in Colorado has already been closed, at least temporarily, because of snow and frost has been reported in Nebraska. But unexpected things keeping taking my time. Like Sunday, Rita and I were returning to Superior when our faithful stead, a 1994 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer I bought from the late Fred Alexander, began losing power and...
There are two historical and unique houses currently for sale in my hometown, Burr Oak. These two houses have changed hands through the years but thankfully the owners respected the origins of the house and chose to keep most of the house the way it looked when it was built about 115 years ago. Being historical, and with me being interested in history, I grew up admiring these houses. When I chose to write a history book about my hometown, Burr Oak The Roots Run Deep, I hoped to bring the history of the many large houses, along with the...
Q: I pray daily, but silently. I was told I need to pray aloud. Is this so? A: Prayer can be out loud or you can pray just thinking the words in your heart. We know Hannah prayed without talking when she asked God for a son because it made the High Priest think she was drunk (I Samuel 1:12-14)! Yet her prayers were answered. God knows the thoughts of our heart (Jeremiah 17:9-10; Mark 2:6-8) and every detail of our lives, both seen and unseen (Matthew 10:29-31). Jesus even advised his disciples to pray secretly so that no one could hear...
I’m getting to not like “weather reports” more and more every year. For the two weeks prior to last weekend we were told to expect ‘good rains’ last weekend, most likely on Sunday. Well, Sunday came and went and many people set plans up to accommodate the rain. I’m not sure of other parts of Nebraska, but here in South Central Nebraska, the rain was not enough to settle the dust. The week end gives credit to the old farmer’s story that went something like this: “Remember that time it rained for forty days and forty nights?” “Here in south ce...
The calendar says it’s time for the summer season to change and we are to “fall” into the next season. It’s a beautiful and colorful season but it also is a busy one. The mum flowers are popping out their brilliant colorful blooms and the trees are beginning to show signs of changing the colors of their leaves. Farmers are as busy as the squirrels trying to prepare for the coming winter months. The combines are busy picking corn and soon it will be time for the harvesting of soybeans and milo. The last cuttings of alfalfa and feed are being b...
Newspapers contain a variety of features which appeal to people of differing reading tastes. Some folks turn first to the comics, others the sports, crossword puzzles or cooking columns. Before I learned to read, my favorite newspaper page was the Omaha World-Herald’s picture page. After learning to read, the From the Files column in The Superior Express was a must read and I read similar columns in other newspapers whenever the opportunity presented itself. As a high school journalism student, I liked to browse the bound volumes of school n...
Q: Why did Jesus say on the cross; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Part Two of Two) A: Last week we discussed the fact that Jesus’ words match the opening words of Psalm 22. This Psalm is a lament for those who feel abandoned and forsaken; reassuring them of God’s rescuing power. But the connection between Jesus and Psalm 22 goes much deeper than just common experience. In fact, the full truth about this Psalm defies our wildest expectations! When we compare Psalm 22 with the life of its author (David, according to the opening...
When I was in a high school “Civics” course, we started out learning about democracy. We learned about the different political parties and their evolutions so we were familiar with their different approaches to problems. We also learned that as time passes the parties’ ideals change and sometimes they are nothing like when they started out. We learned about the proper procedures for debates and about using parliamentary procedures to hold meeting and debates. As it was also a presidential election year, we were able to use some of our new f...
How about those Nebraska Cornhuskers. I haven’t checked the records, but when was the last time we were 3-0 to start a year? And when was the last time I got excited about winning three games in a row? I noticed this week’s game will mark the 400th game in a row the Huskers will have a ‘sold-out’ game. I remember a few years back attending the game that was the 300th sell-out. I also remember when the ‘sold-out’ string started. Back in 1962, when Bob Davaney, Dave Mazour, I think Tom Osborne and myself all started our University experiences...
My hubby and I may not own a cabin or a summer home, but we do have a “home away from home,” our camper trailer. It takes us wherever we like to go. It can be be parked near a lake to provide a wonderful lake side view. It may take us on a journey to visit relatives or friends that live miles away, it may take us on a winter trip to an RV park in a warmer climate, or it may be stationed at a farmstead where yard and pasture work needs to be done for more than one day. All is done in the comforts of our “home away from home.” where we have ou...
Q: Why did Jesus say on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Part One of Two) A: There are a couple of reasons I know of for Jesus’ statement about being forsaken by God, both of them are incredibly profound. In fact, it’s going to take two articles to explain it all! The first thing Jesus was doing by His statement was employing a common rabbinic teaching method. Through the Synagogues (Jewish religious schools), all Jews were instructed in a common body of teaching from an early age. Most Jewish men (and many of the wom...
Puffs “Pickleball:” a game similar to tennis, I guess, but more tuned to an older generation. Never tried it and I don’t have anything against it. However, I got a laugh last week when AARP sent me a letter asking me to join their organization. As a “Welcome Back” gift, they will send me a “Free Pickleball Set.” Don’t know how I can pass up on a deal like that . . . but I did. A O I’m learning more and more, the longer I live. For some time I’ve been learning the fine art of “Laundry.” You know, the process of making dirty clothes, clean. W...
Monday morning I watched as the Superior Utilities crew bored two post holes in the Fourth Street Park in preparation for the relocation of the Statesmen of Superior sign initially located on Central Avenue between the Superior Chamber of Commerce office and the Lost and Found indoor flea market. The sign honoring donors to the Statesmen of Superior fund originally served a dual purpose. It not only honored the program supporters but it also served as a blind to hide what was often an unsightly, difficult to mow weed patch growing on an...
High school freshmen have a lot less to beware of starting their school year than the freshmen did years back. Back in the day there were sneaky seniors who couldn’t wait for high school freshmen initiation to arrive at the start of a new school year. That was just the thing to do back then when the freshmen class got plenty of attention. It was considered as sort of a “right of passage” by all of the high school students. After all, the sophomores, juniors and even the seniors had to go through the dreaded Initiation Day, and all knew once...
When I started in this business, 54 years ago, there were companies that specialized in arranging trade outs. In exchange for advertising space, the company would provide the newspaper with a product. I took advantage of one such offer in the fall of 1974 and traded advertising space for a cruise in the Bahamas. That was the only exchange I participated in. It may be a good thing that I was disappointed for it has been decades since anyone offered such an exchange and I don’t believe I am missing out. The cruise wasn’t what I expected. I’m...
Q: Does being saved mean the same thing as going to heaven? A: In many churches the term “being saved” will typically mean that a person has confessed their sins and received salvation from eternal death through faith in Christ. One result of this is we go to heaven when we die. So I guess we could say that going to heaven is a part of being saved. But let me expand on the subject of salvation in a couple of ways so we can gain more context and clarity on how the term “saved” is used in church and in Scripture. The first thing I want to expl...
